SYMPTOMS

FILTER BLINDNESS is a very cryptic condition. For the most part the CAUSES go unnoticed, and the SYMPTOMS present as though the victim is simply a proponent for the advancement of digital technology. The risk of suffering from this condition is considerably elevated in those individuals who are avid internet surfers, blog updaters, social media site participants, and/or tweeters.

Some of the initial SYMPTOMS include:

ONE

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: suffering ill health as a result of managing the amount of information available on the internet

"We are awash with information. We are surrounded, prodded, consumed and overwhelmed by it...More information has been generated in the last three decades than all the previous 5000 put together. We are in the midst of an information explosion. And, as is the nature with explosions, the casualties are mounting up. Psychologists are increasingly talking about a strange new ailment - Information fatigue syndrome."As quoted in Information Literacy: The Key Competency For the 21st Century, 1998

This symptom presents as intense frustration, irritability, and lack of productivity despite the demand for mining information to execute a particular task. Professionals tend to make up excuses for not having completed an assignment, and educators and students throw up their hands in defeat.

Here is what information overload looks like in a few recent scenarios:

TWO

INFORMATION ADDICTION: adopting digital media as the major source of information

"Of course, not everyone feels overwhelmed by the torrent of information. Some are stimulated by it. But that raises the specter of...[cue scary music]...information addiction. According to a 2008 AOL survey of 4,000 e-mail users in the United States, 46% were “hooked” on e-mail. Nearly 60% of everyone surveyed checked e-mail in the bathroom, 15% checked it in church, and 11% had hidden the fact that they were checking it from a spouse or other family member." Death by Information Overload,2009

This symptom presents as a yearning to become more and more plugged into digital media. In fact, when digital junkies are looking for news and information, they will begin to turn to the internet more and more. Books, newspapers, and magazines will not have the same influence on their life as they once did.

Here is what the adoption of digital media as the guiding source of information looks like in a few recent scenarios:

THREE

INFORMATION FILTRATION: focusing on specific topics/genres/segments to help make sense of the amount of information available

"...your life--who you are, what you think, feel, and do, what you love--is the sum of what you focus on... In contrast, the things that you don't attend to in a sense don't exist, at least for you... Indeed, your ability to focus on this and suppress that is the key to controlling your experience and, ultimately, your well-being."Choosing a Focused Life

This symptom presents during the final stage of this condition, and is what is wreaking the most havoc. This malady causes media consumers to seek out filters to make sense of the amount of information coming their way. These individuals use these filters and the "solutions" they provide to personalize the flow of content that comes their way to a degree that was never possible before. Read more about INFORMATION FILTRATION to find out how it contributes to FILTER BLINDNESS.

Here is what INFORMATION FILTRATION looks like in a few recent scenarios: